Gen IK Acheampong was killed by firing squad on June 16, 1979
The author of the book, ‘General Acheampong; The Life and Times of Ghana’s Head of State,’ Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah, tells a very compelling story of the life of the former head of state of Ghana.
Although Acheampong died through execution, following the June 4, 1979, military uprising that brought Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings to power, having been found guilty of corruption, Agyeman-Duah shares a different account of things.
Speaking in an old clip of an interview he had with Channel One TV, Agyeman-Duah, who is a co-founder of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), explained that those corruption allegations were falsified against him.
He described the death of Acheampong as ‘tragic,’ adding that the late army general was deserving of even more accolades than he was accorded.
“His end was very tragic. If you look at his life story, what he did for the country and all, that end, I guess, was undeserving; tragic hero. He didn’t deserve to end the way he ended. You remember in the book I tell an interesting story which was told me by a very close associate of his.
“When he was going to build houses; the reason he provided housing for the soldiers was that he said, ‘Where I live in Arakan Barracks, perhaps, this is the only house I have and if I leave the army, I might fin myself on the streets myself. So, those who are glued to the old archaic story of he was corrupt and all that, they may have their say, but the evidence does not support it,” he said.
Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah also explained that the accusations of corruption levelled against Acheampong had not evidence backing them.
“Because, first of all, the accusations of corruption that were hugely placed on him, there was no evidence. Even his bank account showed ordinary savings. He didn’t have a bank account in any foreign country. He had only one house in his hometown and he didn’t build a house in Accra, yet, Dansoman Estate, he was the one who introduced it. It was the largest public estate in West Africa.
“And he didn’t even have any of the Dansoman houses. Teshie Nungua Estate, he did it and he didn’t take one for himself. And these are facts,” he added.
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong (September 23, 1931 – June 16, 1979) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who was the military head of state of Ghana from January 13, 1972, to July 5, 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup.
He was executed by firing squad on June 16, 1979.
AE
